


i've been with you such a long time

by Pretentious_Procrastinator



Series: ATLA Meets Camp Nano July 2020 [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Bending (Avatar), Katara - Freeform, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Sokka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25547134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pretentious_Procrastinator/pseuds/Pretentious_Procrastinator
Summary: Bato and Hakoda rarely travelled for work, with Kya the one taking fairly regular trips, mostly to Kyoshi Island, but sometimes further afield. Having Bato move in full-time made child-care much easier, although as Sokka and Katara got older and more independent that became less important. When Kya was away, as much as she missed everyone, she very much enjoyed her time alone. Despite her bubbly nature, she was an introvert at heart, and liked to sprawl out in bed without fear of kicking him or Hakoda. Both he and Hakoda were fully understanding, but for the two of them a lifetime of living in each other’s pockets was only exacerbated by spending so much time together. They still spent time apart of course – work and hobbies and a slightly differing circle of friends – but on the whole Bato would admit they were rather…clingy.Bato is away and finds himself missing Hakoda more than he thought he would. An exploration of their life in a modern world, and a phone call that is a thinly veiled excuse to have Bato and Hakoda be both sickeningly sweet and call each other dickhead.
Relationships: Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Bato/Hakoda/Kya (Avatar)
Series: ATLA Meets Camp Nano July 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1821493
Comments: 12
Kudos: 83
Collections: Bakoda Fleet Week 2020





	i've been with you such a long time

It was unusual for Bato and Hakoda to be apart. Since they were kids, their lives had seemed to align easily: both studied and then briefly worked in Northern Water Tribe City; then moved back home for a while; spent a few years near Omashu; and then settled back home for good. Bato reconnected with their friend Kya and her and Hakoda hit it off, and that seemed like it. He’d never felt like a third wheel, even with his two best friends married, and at least one of his long-term relationships had fitted well into how intertwined his life was with them and the children. Not quite well-enough to lead to marriage, but in that case the mutual break-up was for other reasons instead. 

He'd been quite content with his life until he’d realised that, quite unfortunately, he’d fallen in love with the two of them. Oh, he loved them for years, them and the children being the most important people in the world to him, and had recognised that they were both attractive in a vague way, but it wasn’t until he’d watched Kya reel Koda in by the beltloops, stealing a kiss when they thought no-one was watching, that he’d thought _‘oh shit’_. Because he’d wanted to be in the middle of it. Not just in a sexual way, but in the _‘our lives are already shared but I also want the kisses and sharing a bed and not going home at night_ ’ way.

Bato had panicked for all of a week before he’d noticed Hakoda was acting strangely as well, and the determined looks Kya kept shooting him. He’d felt guilty, braced for a conversation that would be awkward no matter how good friends they were – and he’d known even then, that if things hadn’t worked out, there never would’ve been any kind of malevolence about it – and instead had been struck dumb by Kya marching up to him in the middle of him drying plates one night and asking if she could kiss him. Apart from the kiss itself, perhaps the most memorable moment of that night had been Hakoda’s outraged spluttering. Not at the kiss itself, but at the fact his meticulously planned seduction plan had been derailed. Kya had simply rolled her eyes and said pointedly that Bato preferred directness. (She’d been right.)

There had been a lot of talking, and later a lot of kissing for all three of them, and then as much sex as three nearly forty-year-olds with two pre-teen children could have. Things calmed down after their ‘honeymoon period’ and as it became clear that the shift in their relationship was going to last, they’d told first Kanna, and then the children. They’d taken it well, even if they were a little confused at first. Not too much, though, and Sokka had even admitted that when he was younger he’d assumed they were all married anyway. Katara was just glad to have Bato more permanently on her side when Hakoda, Kya, and Sokka started cracking terrible jokes; Bato was happy to indulge her (or perhaps not indulge so much as agree with - the three of them had no idea what humour was half the time) even if he knew she secretly found them all hilarious. 

And so their lives continued, more intertwined than ever. Bato and Hakoda rarely travelled for work, with Kya the one taking fairly regular trips, mostly to Kyoshi Island, but sometimes further afield. Having Bato move in full-time made child-care much easier, although as Sokka and Katara got older and more independent that became less important. When Kya was away, as much as she missed everyone, she very much enjoyed her time alone. Despite her bubbly nature, she was an introvert at heart, and liked to sprawl out in bed without fear of kicking him or Hakoda. Both he and Hakoda were fully understanding, but for the two of them a lifetime of living in each other’s pockets was only exacerbated by spending so much time together. They still spent time apart of course – work and hobbies and a slightly differing circle of friends – but on the whole Bato would admit they were rather… _clingy_. 

But a friend had recommended him as a graphic designer for an abbey of all places, looking to rebrand their perfume business, and they’d preferred an in-person visit. So Bato was the one away for once, spending a few nights in the Earth Kingdom. He found himself almost at a loose end in his hotel room after dinner, wondering how Koda was managing with him and Kya away. He wasn’t expecting there to be trouble, not with how mature and clever the kids were, but his room felt very quiet. There was no Sokka testing an invention, or Katara trying to justify using bending to make her chores go quicker. Both of them went selectively deaf when being reminded _‘no experimenting or bending in the kitchen, you know the rules’_. As much as none of the adults wanted to stifle the kids, they could only deal with so many explosions and tidal waves. 

Most of all, there was no Hakoda puttering around in the background, humming off-key and placing his cold hands on any of Bato’s bare skin he could reach. Bato wasn’t homesick exactly, this was only his third night away and he was enjoying the peace to an extent, but he hadn’t quite realised how used to being at home he’d become. How used to being with _Hakoda_. He’d also realised how close to being synonymous the concepts had become. The only reason they weren’t was the fact home also meant the rest of his family.

So it was with a kind of sheepish resignation he picked up his phone, discarded on the bed earlier after he’d checked in with the family group chat, and rang Koda.

“Hey, dickhead.” The customary greeting from their teenage years let him know Hakoda was alone at least. Hakoda had a strict ‘no swearing in front of the kids policy’ that was only broken during Mario Kart, DIY, and when he dropped a stitch in his knitting. Kya, on the other hand, swore like the sailor she was. 

“Glad to hear from you too.”

“I’m always glad to hear your voice, you know that.” As always, Bato was struck by the easy way Hakoda would say things like that, in a way that should sound cheesy but somehow didn’t. 

“Gross.”

“Bato, you are forty-one years old and have the best vocabulary I’ve ever heard. Well, except from that weird professor Sokka spoke to at the university. Zei, or something? The one obsessed with the Spirit Library. Kept talking about a giant owl spirit?” 

Hakoda was half on his way to digressing from the topic, and Bato could picture him lounging back on his desk chair, spinning slightly from side to side. He was just considering whether he actually wanted Hakoda to get back to his point or not when he heard the chair squeaking. Hakoda would have jolted forwards away from the back of the chair, throwing himself back to his original topic in a mannerism Bato had long along realised he found endearing. 

“Anyway, of all the words you could you use to describe me, the love of your life – I’m claiming the title off Kya, you only said that because she brought you fire flakes back from Caldera last time – you settle for gross?”

“I could point out that you started it.”

“With what? Dickhead’s been with us a long time. It’s a sign of longevity.” Hakoda’s voice changed, and Bato just knew he was about to say something he thought was incredibly smooth. He rolled his eyes pre-emptively. 

“It’s a sign that no matter what else has changed in our lives, our relationship hasn’t, not in any way that matters. No matter what else you are to me, you’re also my best friend. My rock. The man I want by my side for the rest of my life. The man who’s only been gone for three days and yet I find myself missing, because apparently we’ve become so accustomed to functioning as a team that Kya’s already called me a baby once when I texted her that our bed felt empty with just me in it.”

That was… _oh_. That was actually very sweet. Bato felt a familiar swell of love. For all that he teased, Bato enjoyed how Hakoda’s skill with words – when he applied himself – suited itself to summarising his own feelings. 

“I miss you too. That’s why I rang actually. Wanted to hear your voice.”

Hakoda gave out a pleased hum. “Oh, you know talking isn’t something I normally have a problem with. Not having you around on the other hand…”

“Koda, I mean this with love, but am I the only one who finds this slightly embarrassing? We are _adults_. Parents. Kya’s away a lot and it’s fine, but as soon as we’re separated it’s like we’re teenagers again.”

“Given that I distinctly remember us being more independent as teenagers, I feel like that’s a bit unfair to our past selves.”

“That’s not making me feel better. Teenage me would’ve just felt vaguely sad we hadn’t got any pranks planned, and then insulted you when we were together again. Followed by a cuddle of course.”

“Obviously.” Bato could hear the smile on Hakoda’s face, could picture his cheekbones softening as his crow’s-feet deepened. “Our teenage selves had the affection thing down. Never any toxic masculinity, but plenty of roasting.”

“…and that’s why we shouldn’t give up using dickhead?”

“Exactly! It’s a way to show affection without us getting dangerously saccharine.”

Bato chuckled, admitting the point, before asking Hakoda about how Katara’s test had gone earlier (she hadn’t expanded on it in the group chat) and whether the plot twist in the book he was reading had played out like he predicted. He’d only been speaking for a few minutes when Bato interrupted with a yawn.

“It seems talking to me was enough to make you sleepy.”

“Hmm, yes. You know I sleep better when you’re around.”

“…that was very smooth.” Hakoda’s voice was warm, pleased as ever at the times when Bato turned a joke into something romantic. 

“Thank you, I can be sometimes.”

“More than sometimes.”

Bato simply hummed.

They sat quietly for a few seconds, just breathing across the line, before Bato could bring himself to move. 

“I’d better get ready for bed.”

Hakoda yawned too, the noise crackling through the phone. “Me too. Night, sweetheart.” 

Bato smiled. 

“Good night. Dickhead.” He quickly hung up, snorting to himself, and headed to the bathroom. Hakoda always managed to make him feel better, and getting one over him felt even nicer.

**Author's Note:**

> Completely unedited and a complete divergence for what I was going to write, but sometimes that's the best way to do it! Written for Day 1 of [Bakoda Fleet Week](https://bakodafleetweek.tumblr.com/), for the prompt Modern AU, although I guess it technically could fill 'with kids' as well.  
> As always, feel free to hmu on my [tumblr](https://thewintermusketeer.tumblr.com/).  
> Title from 'You're my Best Friend' by Queen.


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